The term “gambrel” may be used to refer to a device that is used to lift and/or hang a deceased animal. For instance, in a hunting context, the legs of a deceased animal (e.g., a deer, etc.) may be secured to a gambrel device, and the gambrel device may then be lifted to raise the deceased animal at least partially off the ground. The gambrel device may also be secured to a fixed object such as a tree branch, grounded frame, etc., to suspend the animal off of the ground to facilitate field dressing of the animal. As another example, a gambrel device may be used to assist in lifting of the animal onto a vehicle such as a truck, ATV, UTV, etc. While conventional gambrel devices may provide a substantially rigid structure to allow a person to manipulate one end of the animal, such devices may also be difficult to lift when the animal is secured to them, to secure the gambrel device to a fixed overhead object such as a tree branch, building rafter, etc., particularly when the animal is relatively large and heavy. For instance, if a person attempting to lift the animal by the gambrel to secure the gambrel to a tree branch becomes fatigued during lifting, the person may need to lower the animal back down to the ground and start over. Furthermore, it may be difficult to secure the gambrel to a fixed object such as a tree branch while also holding the weight of an animal that is secured to the gambrel.
While a variety of gambrel devices have been made and used, it is believed that no one prior to the inventor(s) has made or used an invention as described herein.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.